I failed to achieve my dream tae kwon do mark. Will this be a turning point for Han Dong-hee and her counseling practice?
The roster for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games has been announced. A total of 24 athletes were selected after careful consideration by national team coach Ryu Jung-il and the Power Enhancement Committee, chaired by Cho Kye-hyun.
Lotte Giants’ Han Dong-hee was not on the list. The halo of legend Lee Dae-ho, the expectation of being the future of the popular Lotte team, and the unstoppable power and vision that she has shown since her debut season. Until last year, a spot in the Asian Games seemed like a promise.
However, after three years of stability with an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of over 0.8, he had a sudden slump this year. He batted just 1-for-6 in the month of April, and only gradually improved in May and June.
It wasn’t a dramatic rise like that of Kiwoom Heroes’ Lee Jung-hoo, though. By now, it was clear that she was far from the national team, and Lotte dropped her from the first team. They wanted her to recharge her batteries in the Futures.
As expected, Han Dong-hee’s teammates at third base were Han Si-hwan of the Hanwha Eagles and Moon Bo-kyung of the LG Twins, which is a shame, especially since Han was her immediate senior at Gyeongnam High School and has been a rival since she entered the professional ranks.
Lotte has been more proactive in utilizing the second team. They have responded positively to calls to introduce annual leave or age restrictions for second team games to spur the development of younger prospects. There is also a trust in the players they have developed and a confidence in making adjustments through ‘resets’.
Han Dong-hee is showing off her hot bat in the Futures’ four games, batting 4-for-2, 6-for-14 with two doubles and two triples. Especially in the game against the SSG Landers 2nd team in Sangdong, Gimhae on the 9th, she hit a solo shot against the opposing starter, Yoo Hoseok.
Meanwhile, Lotte’s first team is feeling the absence of Han Dong-hee in the offense. While there are some concerns about her throwing, 안전놀이터 Han’s defensive range and sensible catching ability are highly regarded. The lack of ‘one-hit wonders’ in the batting department has also seen Lotte falter in an unexpected sweep by KT Wiz.
Han Dong-hee is still young. She is an indispensable hitter for her team.
Barring any military service issues, she will continue to prove her worth in the league and will have her sights set on the 2026 Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games. He can also dream of quenching his thirst for the Taekwondo mark at the 2026 Asian Games or the 2027 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
But Lotte is also the team most committed to military tech. On several occasions, they’ve sent players to the military before they’ve even played their rookie season. The advantage of being proactive about military service is that it allows them to plan for the long term.
Although Lotte escaped a four-game losing streak with a win over the Samsung Lions on September 9, the team is facing its biggest crisis since raising the “Winnow” banner this season. Climbing to the top of the standings is not as easy as it seems, and they are facing a fierce chase from teams in the middle and lower divisions such as the NC Dinos and KT.
Lotte’s batting lineup is a ‘rifle batting lineup’. They need Han Dong-hee to be their cannon, or at least their machine gun, going forward. For now, Han must focus on the here and now rather than the distant future. It’s time to dream of fall baseball for the first time in six years, the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, the Korean Series for the first time in 24 years, and the championship for the first time in 31 years.